Royal Enfield Classic 350 Signals: Pros, Cons, & Should You Buy One?

Is Royal Enfield’s highest-selling motorcycle worth your hard-earned money? We take a look at its positives and negtives to find out

The Classic 350 has been Royal Enfield’s most popular bike for a long time now, and with good reason. The motorcycle still manages to attract buyers today, thanks to its old-school nostalgic charm. However, it still remains mechanically barebones compared to its competitors. But now, with a re-badge and the addition of dual-channel ABS, should you actually consider buying it in this day and age? We take a look at its pluses and minuses to find out. 

Also Read - Royal Enfield Classic 350 Signals: Road Test Review

PROS

The Classic retro-styling 

Perhaps the highest selling point of the Classic 350 is its classic retro-styling that has been vowing generations now. Not to mention, its all-metal body panels also ensures a sturdiness that can’t be found on most modern-day two-wheelers.

Lots of bottom-end torque.

Royal Enfields are known for their meaty low-end torque and laidback nature. The Classic 350 Signals is no exception to that. Its 346cc single-cylinder mill offers a strong bottom end and tall gearing, which helps you in riding around in 4th gear at speeds of 50kmph all day. This unstressed nature of the engine also yields an impressive fuel efficiency figure of 38.73kmpl. And more importantly you have that iconic thump (in a muted manner) for company every time you ride. 

Also Read - 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400: First Ride Review

Brakes well for its size.

The Chennai-based bikemaker has equipped the motorcycle with disc brakes at both ends. And for the most part, they do their job quite well with the help of the dual-channel ABS setup. In our braking tests, the Classic 350 yielded good numbers - 38.73 metres (80kmph-0) and 21.85 metres (60kmph-0). Even under hard braking, there is no drama from the MRF Zappers. 

CONS 

Lots of vibrations.

Climb up the revs and you’ll notice vibrations creeping up on the handlebars, fuel tank and footpegs. Go anywhere closer to the redline and the vibrations feels like you riding through an earthquake. This is a proper old-school motor. If you want something modern or refined, you gotta look somewhere else. 

A bit too old-school for most tastes

Despite packing a rather big 346cc single-cylinder mill, the power figures are on the lower side at 20PS. This is due to the old-school motor which hasn’t seen an update in a few decades now! Add to this more dated mechanicals and you have a very slow motorcycle on your hands. Don’t expect to participate, let alone win any drag races on this one! 

Heavy controls.

In our road test review, we found the clutch lever feel and the throttle to be quite heavy for everyday use. Not to mention, the motorcycle weighs close to 200kg (194kg to be precise), which may prove a bit cumbersome for many when tackling bumper to bumper traffic in the city. 

Should you buy one? No

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 rides high on the old-school motorcycling nostalgia. Its mechanical simplicity and old-school motor help in giving you some fleeting moments of bliss and the “feel” of riding a RE. However, if it’s performance figures and numbers you’re concerned with, you are better off with alternatives.